Donald J. Michels, 93, of Bellevue, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Mill Valley Care Center in Bellevue on Sunday, August 30, 2026.

Funeral Mass will be held 11:00 am, Thursday, September 3, 2026 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bellevue conducted by Fr. Ron Kreul. Visitation will be 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at Hachmann-Mier Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Bellevue, additional visitation will be held 9:30 am – 10:30 am prior to Mass at the funeral home on Thursday. Burial with Military Honors conducted by Bellevue American Legion Post #273 will be in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Bellevue.

Donald was born, January 5, 1933, the son of Joseph and Alice (Kilburg) Michels in Springbrook. He met the love of his life, Dorothy Manders, at a dance in Springbrook. It didn’t take long for the two to realize they were meant to be together. After dating for about a year, Donald asked Dorothy to marry him. They were united in marriage on October 1, 1953, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bellevue.

Their marriage began with a quick transition to military life. Donald was serving in the Army, and just days after their Thursday wedding, he shipped out to Korea. During his 16 months overseas, Donald and Dorothy relied mostly on letters to stay connected, sometimes waiting weeks for a reply. They shared only one phone call during his time overseas, making their devotion to one another even more meaningful. Their marriage would go on to span more than 73 years.

After returning home from the military, Donald and Dorothy made their home in Springbrook and began raising their family. Donald initially worked for FS before purchasing his own truck and becoming an independent fuel hauler. He spent approximately 50 years hauling fuel, a career that reflected his strong work ethic and determination.

Donald was also an entrepreneur. While still working as a truck driver, he built and operated Triple Clean Car Wash and later purchased the restaurant that was known at the time as L&J Maid-Rite. His family remembers how hard he worked, often finishing a long day on the road only to head back to the car wash or restaurant. No matter how busy he was, however, his family remained at the center of his life.

In 1985, Donald and Dorothy moved to Bellevue, where they made their home overlooking the Mississippi River.

Family was everything to Donald. Sundays were family days, often spent together fishing. Although Donald joked that they “never caught much,” what mattered to him was being together. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who took great pride in his family.

Donald will be remembered for his tremendous work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit, love of family and his ability to keep moving forward no matter how much work was in front of him. He built a life through hard work, but his greatest accomplishment was the family he and Dorothy built together.

His legacy will live on through the generations of family he leaves behind and in the many stories they will continue to tell about a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather who worked hard, loved deeply and always made time for family.

Survivors include his wife of over 73 years, Dorothy; children: Diane (Dennis) Kilburg, Donna (Randy Hoffmann) Heiar, Dena (Keith) Haxmeier, Darcie (Kevin) Richman, Denny (Teri) Michels, Denise (Pete) Deppe and David (Diane) Michels; 21 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren; sister, Darlene Rubel; sisters and brothers in-law, Betty Michels, Barb Marshall, Darla (Larry) Hingtgen, Pat Dosland, Ruth Marshall, and Wayne Manders.

Donald was preceded in death by his parents; 2 daughters at birth, Mary and Margarette; grandsons, Scott Kilburg and Jesse Freiburger; a brother, Joseph Michels, Jr.; a sister, Mildred (Harold) Kreul; brothers in-law, Leo Rubel, Joe Marshall, Ole Dosland, Leonard (Darlene) Manders, and Jerry Marshall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial fund has been established in Donald’s memory.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.hachmannfuneralhome.com or Hachmann-Mier Funeral Home & Cremation Service Facebook Page.